Two Hunters in Swamped Boat Rescued by Wildlife Troopers and Hoonah Volunteers

Two Hoonah hunters were rescued from their swamped Boston Whaler in Icy Straits after they broke down on Saturday, Wildlife Troopers report.

According to the report, the two men had gone out hunting in the Icy Straits area in their 22-foot vessel when their outboard broke down. The seas and wind came up with the rising tide and started to swamp their boat, as darkness approached, the small craft was pushed closer and closer to the shore.

The two men had no basic survival gear on hand, and one, who was soaking wet, began showing signs of hypothermia. The two men each had a cell phone, but after calling and reporting their situation, both phones stopped functioning before they could report their exact location.

Hoonah-based Alaska Wildlife Troopers and Hoonah volunteers set out, and after a search were able to locate the two men. They were transported by to Hoonah on the volunteer vessel Thor Too. Troopers say that AWT and volunteers returned to the location of the vessel and towed it back into Hoonah.